Greetings from the sea ports

On board a vessel in the port of Ghent

Earlier this year we wrote about the work of sea port evangelist Alexander Eberson. We are happy with the contact and recently we received a newsletter from him that is worth sharing in  part ... so encouraging!

A bit of personal background: "I studied Theology in Brussels, followed by clerical training and I was confirmed as a pastor. I served in three congregations. In my last congregation I enjoyed working a few days a week as a harbor chaplain in the sea port of Zeebrugge. "

"In the beginning of 2019 I started my work as a pastor in the sea ports of Terneuzen and Ghent (full-time). That's why we moved to Terneuzen as a family. My wife Tonja teaches at a Christian primary school in Axel and our daughter Hannah attends the school."

Always thankful faces

Alexander continues to write with enthusiasm about the visits to the ships: "During a ship visit in Terneuzen I was told by a number of sailors that one fellow crew member had turned 41 that day."

"After the ship visit I went to get him a birthday cake. I told them: 'God has not forgotten you!' The sailor who had his birthday had never experienced something like this."

Happy birthday

"On one of my ship visits in Ghent I gave away a large Bulgarian house Bible for the 22 Bulgarians on board. In addition, I also left a small Ukrainian Bible for the only Ukrainian crew member on the ship. The men liked this and were encouraged as a result. The Bibles were received with interest."

Materials

Alexander knows the importance of building a network, he has not only made contact with Traveling Light, but also with people from Book store Oasis, the Salvation Army and Dorcas. All people who have a heart for outreach in the sea ports of Terneuzen and Ghent.

And then some figures: In recent months, Alexander has given away 85 Bibles (Tagalog, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish), 50 bags with Easter eggs, 30 Pocket crosses, 15 Children's Bibles (English), 5 worship CDs, 2 DVDs (Ruth and John Gospel) , 5 DVDs Jesus movie, 15 knitted hats and 1 book 'Jesus, our destination'.

Happy greetings to all of you

The Christians are happy with his visits, because sometimes they feel lonely on board and are in need of conversation and prayer, and the non-Christians or people from other faiths really value the visits and the personal attention.

If you want to help Alexander to buy Bibles and other materials, you can make your gift payable to: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention SAILORS.

More Tagalog Bibles needed!

Guus & Annemiek on board handing out Christmas gifts

Dear friends, just a quick note on behalf of seafarer's evangelist Guus Peters. Do you remember that we gave him a gift last September for the purchase of 100 Tagalog Bibles? Well, the Bibles are in great demand among the Philippine sailors, so Guus needs to restock.

Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines and Guus has many contacts with Filipino seafarers. He writes:

The gift of Life!

"Just in the past two weeks I met a captain that gave Bible studies on board and wanted a couple of Bibles. Furthermore, a young Filipino guy who wanted a King James Version (KJV) and a man who had just lost his little child (only one and a half years old) and sought comfort in God's Word."

We support the work among the seafarers and we always enjoy reading the newsletters that Guus & Annemiek send out. Guus is like a father to the sailors who are often away from home for months at the time and he regularly has valuable conversations with them about God and the Bible.

Books, Bibles, DVD's

The Bibles cost EUR 8,50 and Guus wants to order at least one hundred copies; so do the math.

If you have a heart for spreading the good news ... to the ends of the earth, make a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275, BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention BIBLES.

We will make sure the money goes to Guus ASAP!